March 16, 2010
Join the conversation with Dining Editor Mary Brown Malouf
11/09/09
08:45 AM
On the Table

Dining with the city mouse and the country mouse

By Mary Brown Malouf
11/09/09 - 08:45 AM
Dining with the city mouse and the country mouse



The city mouse and the country mouse.

That's what my dining weekend reminded me of. One meal an adventure in palate-pushing; the other, pure classy comfort food.

Thursday night, we ate at Forage—a simple, elegant room. with a few tables. Service was friendly, food was excellent. Plain white tableware. The restaurant is owned by two young chefs, Bowman Brown and Viet Pham, who met while cooking at Spark.

Smoked pasta with sea urchin butter, a barely scrambled truffled egg with sherry maple syrup served in the shell and olive oil-tempered hamachi with pine nut puree for starters. Artistic, high-concept food: slow-cooked dover sole in roasted chicken and brown butter jus with squash "textures," roast pork sirloin with pork belly, caramelized endive and pickled apples, vanilla-scented ruby grapefruit, juniper ice cream and mexican chocolate crumble and honeycrisp apple, applesauce cake with caramel popcorn ice cream for dessert.

Saturday night we ate at Communal in Provo—a simple, rustic room with a few tables. Service was friendly, food was excellent. Plain white tableware. The restaurant is owned by two young chefs, Joel McRae and Colton Soeberg, who also own Pizzeria 712.

Cured meats, olive bread and tomato bread pudding for starters. Homestyle, hearty food: pot roast, sous vide chicken, baked polenta with caramelized onions, potatoes au gratin, butterscotch pudding and pear pandowdy for dessert. Served

Okay, now I just re-read the actual Aesop's fable about the mice and my experience wasn't really anything like that. No cat, for one thing.And I had to work equally hard for each meal.

But the two restaurants were a great contrast of how very similar ideas about food—high-quality, local, fresh, inventive and stylish—can turn out so very differently. Try them both.

Reader Comments:
Old to new | New to old
Nov 9, 2009 01:51 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

At least they didn't serve rodents (altho you didn't mention the other tables) Sounded like good eating!

--Anonny (pas un chat)

Nov 18, 2009 04:54 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

My husband and I ate at Communal right before they officially opened, and Joseph and Colton have done it again! We love Pizzeria 712, and now we love Communal. I would follow those chefs where ever they cook. The food is rustic (it's served family-style), beautiful, and delicious. The ambiance is a nice departure from the rest of the downtown Provo dining scene. It's inviting and warm. My husband happens to be a chef at Forage, so I know what you're saying about how different they are. But Communal is well worth the trip for those of us who live closer to the Salt Lake County line.

Nov 30, 2009 05:21 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

I went to Communal right after they opened for lunch, and I loved it! The food, ambiance and service were all superb. Along with Pizzeria 712, it's another great find in Utah County.

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About This Blog

A lack of serious ambition, a love of cooking and a degree in Latin naturally led to a career in food writing for Mary Brown Malouf.

Her 25 years of experience has included stints as executive editor of D magazine in Dallas, Texas; executive editor at wine.com in Napa, California; and restaurant critic for The Salt Lake Tribune.

Now, she’s the dining editor for Salt Lake magazine, where she writes about the food scene in Salt Lake City and beyond. Check in regularly for the latest restaurant news, great products from local purveyors, and conversation about all things gustatory.

If you have news, tips or other information about the dining scene you'd like to share, email Mary.

 

 

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